Mineral separator



Oct. 28, 1958 R. wfcLow ETAL MINERAL SEPARATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 21, 1954 5 v! R .5 w ,M mm m Vm T W C M A 5 awn m mm Wm w Oct. 28, 1958 R. w. CLOW ETAL MINERAL SEPARATOR Filed Dec. 21, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //V VE N TORS W MM mp Un sflw e Pa Ofiice 2,858,064 Patented Oct. 28, 1958 SEPARATOR Raymond w. (210w and Joseph J. Snyder, Evansville, Ind. Application December 21, 1954, Serial No. 476,798

Claims. (Cl. 233-24) The present invention relates to equipment and a method for separating heavy materials from a mixture of heavy and light materials, and more particularly to a mineral separator of the floatation and centrifugal type in which heavier ores are separated from tailings.

Heretofore various types of apparatus have been used for separating materials of different specific gravity and such means have included dry treatment on vibrating tables, wet treatment in which the various components were suspended in a liquid, and many other types of separation including screening and the like. Although these various types of apparatus have been satisfactory for some purposes, they have not been satisfactory where it is necessary to carry equipment from one place to another, particularly in prospecting on a small scale where the transportation of heavy equipment is not feasible. Consequently, there is an unsatisfied need for portable equipment for mineral separation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile apparatus which may be readily conveyed from place to place and set up in a minimum of time for separating material of different specific gravity.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifuge with means for collecting and discharging the light materials and means for collecting and conveying the heavier materials for subsequent storage or treatment.

Another object of the invention is to extract mineral concentrates from material which is reduced to a size in which the various ingredients may be separated.

A further object is to provide apparatus and a method for separating high specific gravity minerals from low specific gravity tailings by combinations of centrifuging and fluid suspension.

Other and further objects will be apparent upon reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the separating equipment of the present invention mounted on a conventional trailer with a portion of the tongue of the trailer broken away;

Fig. 2, a longitudinal section taken generally on line 2-2 of Fig. l and showing the mud distributing manifold in quarter section; and

Fig. 3, a transverse section taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with the manifold removed.

Briefly, the present invention comprises a frame on which an open top concavo-convexbowl is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and such bowl is provided with a slot or series of slots adjacent the upper edge for the passage of tailings, the bowl also being provided with a series of openings adjacent the bottom and in close proximity to the axis for discharging the heavier materials from the bowl as the bowl is continuously rotated. A suitable motor with a transmission and suitable gearing and belt driving means are provided for rotating the bowl and for operating pumps which continuously supply a mud-like material to be treated to a manifold or pulp distributor which discharges the mud to the upper portion of the bowl below the slots therein. Suitable means are provided for collecting the 'tailings which pass through the slots in the bowl, and other means are pro vided for collecting the heavy concentrates which pass through the openings at the center and bottom portion of the bowl for further treatment or storage.

Upon more detailed reference to the drawings, it will be observed that a more or less conventional trailer 10 is provided with ground engaging supporting wheels 11, 11 and a tongue 12 and braces 13, 13 which may extend to a towing vehicle. Mounted upon the trailer chassis is a frame 14 having longitudinal and transverse members and upon two of the transverse members 15 and 16 a pedestal 17 of generally pyramidal shape is fixedly mounted by any suitable means and such pedestal fixedly carries a gear box 18 having a driving shaft 19 extending horizontally therefrom and a driven shaft 20 extending vertically.

Fixedly mounted on the vertically extending shaft 20 is a concavo-convex bowl 21 which has a curved bottom and an upper margin 22 extending vertically from the curved portion. The vertically extending upper margin is provided with a plurality of tailing discharge slots 23, and extending outwardly from the bowl adjacent the bottom of the vertically extending wall portion is an outwardly extending flange 24 for guiding tailing material away from the bowl.

An internal combustion motor 25 or other source of power is mounted on the frame and is provided with a transmission 26 and a clutch control lever 27 for clutching and unclutching the transmission to a rotatably mounted power shaft 28. Fixed on the power shaft 28 is a sprocket 29 drivingly engaging a chain 30 which drives a large sprocket 31 fixed on an idle shaft 32, the idle shaft 32 carrying a smaller sprocket which drivingly engages a chain 33 which drives a sprocket 34 fixed on the driving shaft 19 of the gear box 18. By this arrangement the separating bowl 21 may be rotated at a speed controlled by the speed of the motor and clutched or unclutched by the control lever 27. The gear ratio between the power shaft 28 and the driven. shaft 20 is approximately 15 to 1 and the motor is normally run at a speed from 800 to 1,200 R. P. M.

For supplying mud or other material being treated to the bowl 21, a pair of centrifugal pumps or the like 35, 36 are mounted on the frame and are driven by means of shafts 37 and 38, respectively, which shafts in turn are driven by the V-belts 39 from pulleys 40 on the power shaft 28, the belts 39 driving the pulleys 41 and 42 on the shafts 37 and 38, respectively. The mud is drawn into the pumps through suitable inlet pipes or hoses 43, 44 and is discharged from the pumps through suitable piping or hoses 45, 46 shown in phantom lines to a T- i type connection 47 which feeds the material to be treated to a manifold or pulp distributor 48.

An intercommunicating pipe 49 extends between the outlet pipes of the pumps 35 and 36 and is provided with a valve 50 whereby communication between the outlets of the pumps may be established if desired.

A tailing discharge gutter is provided for the materials discharged through slots 23. Said gutter includes a lower inclined plate 51 which is supported from the frame by means of suitable uprights 52A and an opening concentric to the axis of rotation of the bowl 2?. is provided within the plate 51, and extending upwardly from the periphery of the opening is a flange 52. Extending up wardly from the outer periphery of the plate 51 is an upstanding wall 53 which is of generally cylindrical contour and merges into a chute formed by converging extensions 52B, 52B of the upstanding wall 53.

Mounted on the upper edges of the wall 53 and the converging extensions 52B, 52B is an inwardly extending upper plate 54 from which depends an annular flange 55 which completely surrounds the upper vertical wall portion 22 of the bowl. The upper plate 54 includes a downwardly turned portion 56whi ch co-operates with an extension of the bottom plate 51 and extensions 52B, 52B thereby providing a discharge opening 57 for the tailings or light materials passing out through the. slots 23.

For collectingthe heavy concentrates passing through apertures 58 in the central bottom portion of the bowl 21, a gutter or drain pan 59 is provided and includes an inclined bottom plate'6t) and an upwardly and outwardly extending peripheral wall 61 and a raised central supporting portion 62; The peripheral wall 61 and the bottom wall' 69. converge toward a discharge mouth 63 from which the concentrates may be collected for further processing or storage. The drain pan 59 is fixed to the pedestal 17 by suitable means such as bolts or the like passing through the raised central portion 62 and the top of the pedestal 17.

After the mud or raw material is fed to the T-connection 47 it is fed into the manifold or pulp concentrator 48 which concentrator is of annular shape having an outwardly and downwardly inclined bottom wall 64, an inner peripheral wall 65, an outer peripheral wall 66, and a top wall 67. The outer peripheral wall 66 is provided with discharge outlets 68 spaced about one-fourth inch from the bottom wall 64 from which outlets the material is discharged into the bowl 21 below the tailing discharge slots 23 thereof. The manifold 48 is supported from the top wall 54 of the tailing gutter by means of straps 69 the outer ends of which straps overlap the top wall 54 and are secured thereto by any suitable means such as screws or bolts 70.

From the above description the operation of the apparatus and the steps involved in the method are believed to be obvious. Material to be treated such as alluvial dredged eroded deposits, stream bed sands, or the like can be washed free with hydraulic water pressure and the mixture of the deposit with the water is then drawn through the supply lines 43 and 44 by means of pumps 35 and 36 and through conduits 45 and 46 to the manifold or pulp distributor 4-8 from which the mixture passes outwardly through openings 68 into the bowl 21. The bowl 21 would be continuously rotating at a suitable speed for the material being treated and as the mud or mixture passes into the bowl, the lighter materials will be carried upwardly by centrifugal force as well as the floatation effect of the liquid and the heavier materials will gravitate downwardly to the series of openings 58 passing through the openings 58 into the drain pan 59 for collection for storage or further treatment. The lighter materials or tailings will pass upwardly and through the slots 23 and into the tailing gutter formed between peripheral wall 53, converging Walls 52, and bottom wall 51 to be discharged through the spout 57. The flange 24 also serves as a slinger and guide for the tailing material which passes outwardly through the slot 23 and prevents such tailings and liquid from passing along the bottom surface of the bowl 21 thereby preventing contamination of the heavier concentrates.

A partial list of minerals and metals which are contained in ores that may be separated by the apparatus includes:

Antimony Cadmium Bismuth Cerium Cobalt Chromium Copper Columbium Gold Germanium Iron Indium Lead Molybdenum Manganese Palladium Mercury Rhodium Platinum Tantalum Silver Thorium Tin Uranium in pitch blend ore Tungsten Zirconium Zinc, Vanadium It will be noted that the speed of rotation of the bowl may be varied by controlling the speed of the motor 25 for adapting the apparatus to the separation of material having different specific gravities and different viscosities. For example, uranium ore with a specific gravity of 5 and a viscosity of 30 would require a different speed for separation than the speed required for the separation of silver ore with a specific gravity of 3 and a viscosity of 20. The present invention is adaptable for operation over a wide range for carrying out the separation of various ores in the manner described above.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and, therefore, the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable structure for separating materials of varying densities comprising a frame, ground engaging wheel mounted on said frame and supporting said frame for movement on the ground, a pedestal mounted on said frame, a gear box having driving and driven shafts mounted on said pedestal with the driven shaft thereof extending vertically and the driving shaft thereof extending horizontally, a motor having a transmission mounted on said frame and carrying a power shaft, an idle shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, chain gearing extending from said power shaft to said idle shaft, other chaingearing extending from said idle shaft to said driving shaft whereby operation of said motor causes rotation of the driven shaft of said gear box, at least one pump mounted on said frame, drive means extending from said motor to said pump, a bowl having a curved bottom and vertical wall extremities fixed on said driven shaft, said bowl being provided with a series of openings adjacent to and spaced from the axis thereof, a first gutter fixedly mounted on said pedestal and having a trough underlying said series of openings, said gutter being provided with a discharge spout adjacent one side of the frame whereby said first gutter collects material passing through said series of openings and discharges such material, a second gutter surrounding said bowl and mounted on said frame, said second gutter being provided with a trough which underlies the outer periphery of said bowl, said bowl being provided with a slot adjacent its upper margin, an outwardly extending rib on said bowl locatedbelow said slot, said second trough having an outlet carrying material away from said frame, said trough being provided with an upper plate located adjacent the top of said bowl and having a downwardly extending flange outwardly of the outer periphery of said rib on said bowl, a manifold mounted on said upper plate and provided with outlet openings for guiding material to be treated into said bowl, and means to connectsaid pumps to said manifold whereby fluid material may be continuously treated by the mobile unit.

2. Apparatus for separating mineral components by their relative densities comprising a frame, a bowl rotatably mounted on said frame for rotation about a vertical axis, said bowl being provided with a slot adjacent to and spaced from the upper margin thereof with the slot passing through the walls thereof, said bowl being provided with a series of apertures. adjacent to and spaced from the axis of rotation, a. manifold mounted on said frame and within the upper portion of the bowl, said manifold being provided with a plurality of outlets below the slot in said bowl, means to supply mixtures of liquid and solids to said manifold so that such mixtures may pass through the outlets of said manifold and into said bowl, and means for rotating said bowl at a sufficiently high speed to cause the lighter portionsof the solid matter and liquidto pass through the slot in the bowl and allow the heavier materials to collect in the bottom of said bowl and pass through said series of apertures adjacent the axis of rotation of said bowl, a gutter surrounding said bowl and providing a trough for collecting material discharged through said slot in said bowl, a rim around said bowl on the outer periphery thereof below said slot for guiding material passing through said slot outwardly into the gutter, means for collecting material passing through said series of apertures and discharging such material to a dilferent discharge location from that of said gutter.

3. Apparatus for separating mineral components by their relative densities comprising a frame, a bowl rotatively mounted on said frame for rotation upon a vertical axis, said bowl being provided with an outlet adjacent the upper margin thereof, said bowl being provided with a series of apertures adjacent the axis of rotation, a manifold mounted on said frame and within the upper portion of the bowl, said manifold including an annular conduit and said manifold being provided with emission means below the outlet of said bowl, means to supply mixtures of liquid and solids to said manifold so that such mixtures may pass through the emission means of said manifold and into said bowl, and means for rotating said bowl at a sufficiently high speed to cause the lighter portions of the solid matter and the liquid to discharge through the outlet of said bowl and allow the heavier materials to collect in the bottom of said bowl and pass through said series of apertures adjacent the axis of rotation of said bowl, a gutter surrounding said bowl and providing a trough for collecting the material discharged through said outlet of said bowl, means for collecting material passing through said series of apertures and discharging such material to a different discharge location from that of said gutter.

4. Apparatus for separating mineral components by their relative densities comprising a frame, a bowl rotatively mounted on said frame for rotation around a vertical axis, said bowl being provided with an outlet adjacent the upper margin thereof, said bowl being provided with a series of apertures adjacent to and spaced from the axis of rotation, a manifold mounted on said frame and within the upper portion of the bowl, said manifold being provided with emission means for directing material into said bowl, means to supply mixtures of liquids and solids to said manifold so that such mixture may pass through the emission means of said manifold and into said bowl, and means for rotating said bowl at a sufiiciently high speed to cause the lighter portions of the solid matter and liquids to discharge through the outlet of said bowl and to allow the heavier materials to collect in the bottom of said bowl and pass through said series of apertures adjacent to and spaced from the axis of rotation of said bowl, and means for collecting material passing through said series of apertures and directing such material away from the bowl for further processing.

5. Apparatus for separating mineral components by their relative densities comprising a frame, a bowl having its sides flaring upwardly and having a vertically extending wall portion at the top thereof, said bowl being mounted on said frame for rotation around a vertical axis, said bowl being provided with an outlet adjacent the upper margin thereof, said bowl being provided with a series of apertures adjacent to and spaced from the axis of rotation, feeding means spaced radially outwardly of the axis of rotation and closely adjacent the periphery of the bowl at the upper margin of the bowl, said feeding means emitting the material radially outwardly closely adjacent the upper margin of the bowl and below the outlet adjacent the upper margin, means to supply mixtures of liquids and solids to said feeding means, and means for rotating said bowl at a sufiiciently high speed to cause the lighter portions of the solid matter and liquids to discharge through the outlet of said bowl and to allow the heavier materials to collect in the bottom of said bowl and pass through said series of apertures adjacent to and spaced from the axis of rotation of said bowl, and means for collecting material passing through said serie of apertures and directing such material away from the bowl for further processing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 487,055 Ohlsson Nov. 29, 1892 749,104 Schoenfeldt Jan. 5, 1904 980,001 Ponten Dec. 27, 1910 1,870,710 Churchill Aug. 9, 1932 1,906,457 Flowers May 2, 1933 1,935,547 Dryhurst Nov. 14, 1933 1,967,032 Lind-berg July 17, 1934 2,132,195 Stirn Oct. 4, 1938 2,450,737 Rundquist Oct. 5, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,487/34 Australia June 10, 1935 

